Pokémon: Starting with a Volcarona

The Poké Ball containing Steelix trembled slightly in Nathan's palm, as if responding to him.

Having freeloaded off Nathan for so long, Steelix was practically one of his Pokémon already.

However, Nathan's age and official Trainer rank were still a limiting factor.

Steelix was willing to help, but to truly become Nathan's Pokémon, there was one requirement—

Nathan had to defeat it in battle.

That was the bottom line, the dignity of a Pokémon.

And Nathan had no intention of violating that.

"Volcarona, I'm counting on you!"

Seeing the silhouette of Honchkrow growing fainter in the distance, Nathan didn't hesitate.

He stepped directly onto Volcarona's back.

After evolving, Volcarona's body had grown even larger.

Even before, its size had been increasing gradually, and now, carrying Nathan was no trouble at all.

In fact, Nathan couldn't even feel the heat of the surrounding flames.

On the contrary, the milky-white flames danced like strands of cotton candy, gentle and harmless, not even scorching his clothes.

This was the greatest strength of Volcarona after its bond evolution!

It was just like the strongest swordmaster—capable of cutting through anything, yet also capable of cutting through nothing.

Volcarona had reached a similar realm.

…

"Should we pursue them?"

Watching Nathan and The Tiger leave one after another, Joseph hesitated.

Even though he'd been a senior member of the League for quite some time, he still found it difficult to judge this kind of situation.

"Forget it. Even if we caught up, what could we do?"

The old woman beside him shook her head, watching Nathan's departing figure.

"Unless we bring in the strongest few Elite Guardian members, no one has the right to interfere right now."

Joseph smiled bitterly at her words but didn't offer any rebuttal—because it was the truth.

Against Champion-level opponents, even a heavily armed force would be nothing but cannon fodder.

It's like asking soldiers with pistols to go up against a tank—

Sure, it's possible, but the outcome would be tragically one-sided.

….

Above the Capital City—

That day, everyone saw two streaks of light—one black and one white—streaking through the sky like meteors.

"Faster, go faster! Honchkrow, that damned kid is catching up!"

The Tiger glanced behind him and spoke in a voice filled with fear.

Aside from Chiyou's leader, this was the first time The Tiger had been so terrified of someone—

And that someone was just a recent high school graduate!

But the more he thought about those brilliant crimson eyes—

Shimmering like jewels, beautiful and terrifying—the more uncontrollable his fear became.

That guy wasn't human!

No matter what, The Tiger couldn't accept that such a being could be classified as a mere human!

In contrast, Nathan stood calmly on Volcarona's back, his crimson eyes gleaming with a mesmerizing glow.

If it were nighttime, they might be even more breathtaking.

[Partner, I must remind you—this state you're in has a time limit.]

Suddenly, an idea came clearly into Nathan's mind—Kroxus was speaking to him.

Nathan wasn't surprised at all.

Ever since he used Kroxus's power to purge negative emotions, their connection had seemed to transcend the binary of 0 and 1.

Even though "1" was an incredibly tiny number,

The space between 0 and 1 represented infinity.

Because of that breakthrough in their relationship—

And because human malice was such precious nourishment for Kroxus—

Its thoughts became much clearer, and even the way it addressed him changed.

Until Kroxus took on a physical form, it wasn't considered Nathan's "Pokémon" per se,

But it was his partner.

Due to their contract, they shared a life bond—if one perished, the other would too.

Neither Nathan nor Kroxus could harm each other or act with ill intent.

"How long can this state last?"

Nathan asked calmly, gazing ahead.

[I can't determine an exact time, but I'll support you for as long as Volcarona remains standing, partner.]

Kroxus's messages came without voice, visuals, or text—

But in Nathan's mind, the clarity was unmatched.

"Alright, I'm counting on you, partner."

Nathan smiled, then vanished from view.

This wasn't just gratitude—it was sincere acceptance.

Without Kroxus, Nathan likely would've been overwhelmed—

Drowned in endless human malice.

Both he and Metagross would've lost control,

Eventually succumbing from exhaustion and getting picked off by The Tiger.

Even if something unexpected happened, no one would've believed that a mere "kid" could rival the sharpest blade of Chiyou.

Unfortunately for The Tiger and Tina, they had both fallen into the same trap.

This wasn't about Nathan pretending to be weak—it was that they assumed he was weak.

They didn't even bother with basic reconnaissance and just rushed in blindly.

If they had been serious—

Even if they didn't go full cliché with kidnapping plots,

At the very least they would've done thorough intel gathering.

Typically, those who operate in the shadows don't reveal themselves so easily.

"Volcarona, accelerate!"

Feeling the wind whip past his face, Nathan suddenly gave the command.

In his hand, the screen of his phone lit up with a belated message:

Tina: Boss, I've located the lab you were looking for! Here's the map~

That's right. Tina hadn't shared any information with Nathan beforehand—

Partly because Chiyou deliberately excluded the new recruit from the operation,

But mainly because Nathan had already ordered her to investigate the possible location of Mewtwo.

And Tina hadn't let him down.

Even though she hadn't fully infiltrated Chiyou, she had managed to uncover nearly all the lab sites.

This was the perfect time.

All the major players were busy elsewhere.

If not, neither Chiyou nor Nathan would have had the opportunity to carry out their plans.

"Chiyou... I should really thank you for picking such a perfect time."

Gazing at the fleeing figure ahead, Nathan suddenly leapt off Volcarona's back!

As long as Volcarona continued the chase, no one would realize Nathan was already gone.

After all, who would think that a human would jump from mid-air?

Of course, Nathan had chosen his landing spot carefully—

He didn't jump from hundreds or thousands of meters up.

He timed it perfectly to land on the rooftop of a tall building.

Even someone using binoculars wouldn't easily spot where he'd disappeared.

"So, Mewtwo... We'll finally meet."

As his feet slid along the rooftop, leaving two faint scorch marks, Nathan landed gracefully, anticipation in his voice.

Only a legendary can defeat a legendary.

That wasn't just a saying—it was the truth.

Just like how apples fall to the ground, not rise into the sky.

Out of curiosity, Nathan once asked Kroxus why this was the case.

The answer lay with none other than Arceus—the "Creation Llama."

When Arceus created hundreds of Pokémon, there were bound to be anomalies.

Their appearances might differ, but without exception—

Every Legendary Pokémon shared something in common with Arceus.

The closer their essence was to Arceus's,

The stronger their power and divine authority.

That's why the gap between ordinary Pokémon and pseudo-legendaries could be bridged—

But the gap between pseudo-legendaries and true Legends was like a chasm between dimensions.

In other words—

If Nathan didn't gain control of Mewtwo, becoming a legendary trainer would be impossible.

No matter how strong his bonds were with other Legendaries.

Of course, he could still pin his hopes on Kroxus eventually hatching...

But even Kroxus had no idea when that would be.

…

After landing on the rooftop, Nathan used his enhanced physique and psychic abilities to move swiftly through the building—

Avoiding all detection with ease.

Looking at his own hands, he muttered in confusion,

"I feel really confident right now... Like I can do anything effortlessly."

Indeed, ever since entering this state, everything had gone smoothly—

As if all his thoughts were turning into reality.

Despite never having trained in any covert techniques,

All sorts of espionage skills now came to him as if they were second nature.

Just like how people are born knowing how to move their limbs.

[Don't overthink it. With your current body and abilities, it would be strange if you couldn't do these things.]

Kroxus responded with a calm certainty.

Nathan considered it and found the logic sound.

At this point, he was practically a humanoid Pokémon.

Aside from not being able to use moves,

Becoming a living super soldier wouldn't be an exaggeration.

If he couldn't do at least this much—

He might as well be a toddler who hasn't learned to walk.

(End of Chapter)